- The primary organs used for breathing in humans are the lungs. These two balloon-type organs reach from the bottom of your rib cage up into your shoulder region, just below where your neck meets your chest. All of the muscles that surround and support the human thoracic cavity--which encloses all of the main organs, including the heart and lungs--contribute to successful and healthy breathing. These muscles open up the lungs, allowing you to take air in through your nose and mouth and to compress and push air out of the lungs through the same pathways.
- The diaphragm is a large curved muscle that serves as a demarcation between the chest and the abdomen. This muscle lifts the lungs when you exhale, pressing air out of your chest, and contracts downward to open up your lungs, mouth and nose when you inhale. This is the prime muscle that helps the body create the suction necessary to breathe in.
- The muscles between your ribs are activated by nerves extending directly from the spinal cord out into the spaces between the rib bones. These are called the intercostal muscles, and they provide the compression that moves your rib cage in and out, enabling you to take your deepest breaths and to cough.
- The abdominal muscles, or abs, get more attention at the gym when they are referred to as a six-pack. The abdominals reach from the mid-spine all the way down to the lumbar region. These are the muscles most responsible for blowing out hard and coughing with authority.
- These are the smallest muscles of the collection. Located in the neck, the accessory muscles complete the opposite movement of the diaphragm by lifting the rib cage and expanding the lungs from above to help breathe in deeply. As their name might suggest, however, these muscles are not strong enough to support deep breathing on their own.
